by Larry EderAlfons Juck is one of our key partners with RunBlogRun. Alfons’ service, EME NEWS provides us and you, our dear readers, with athletics enthusiast tidbits each and every day. Translated, Alfons Juck gives us the geek stuff. Enjoy his views of session One, Day One.
SOPOT – SESSION 1 (Friday Morning)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I do not think I will have a hard time taking gold,” Genzebe Dibaba after 3000 m heat.
“It was not maximum effort, I can still do better in the final,” Angelika Cichocka after 2:00.37 WL in 800 m heat.
“I cannot believe it that I came first and beat them all. I work part-time drawing town maps,” Selina Buchel after winning her 800 m heat in 2:00.93 PB.
RESULT OF THE DAY
World lead in 800 m heats 2:00.37 by Angelika Cichocka and fast men times in the 1500 m and 800 m heats 3:36.75 Aman Wote and 1:45.76 by Adam Kszczot.
SURPRISE OF THE DAY
Dutch Thijmen Kupers in the 800 m final, Czech Jakub Holusa in the 1500 m final and Swiss Selina Buchel in women 800 m final.
FAVORITE FALLS
US second best in the 2014 indoor list Kurt Roberts out in shot put qualification, in the 1500 m heats out Istanbul medalist Mekonnen Gebremedhin, Kenyan Silas Kiplagat, in the 800 m heats out Moscow medalist Nick Symmonds, in the women 800m early season leader Laura Muir of Great Britain and US Champion Ajee Wilson both out.
SPECTATORS
6000.
OTHERS
World Youth Champion Anita Hinriksdottir one of very few juniors competing here was for some seconds celebrating that she made it into the final, World junior indoor record and national senior mark 2:01.03. But then she became the bad news, she is disqualified for lane infringement. Protest of Iceland was not accepted.
Only three athletes eliminated in women 3000 m heats and triple qualification. Straight final would be nice in the 3000 m.
World champion Hanna Melnychenko one meter less than her best in shot put, will be tough for her to attack the medals.
After announcing her retirement the year of the last World Indoors in Istanbul, Ruth Beitia was the only women qualifying with a clear card to the high jump final.
Tom Walsh earned a New Zealand indoor record with a 20.41 put to qualify for the final.
Blanka Vlasic advanced into her 6th World indoor final on count-back due to her first attempt clearance at 192.
EUROPEAN VIEW
The women’s 400m heats saw Europe take half of the 12 spots for the semi finals. 4 Europeans earned qualification on the men’s side. Europe took 8 of the 9 qualification spots in the women’s high jump and will also have 5 in the women’s 800m final, these contrast with the 3000m where Europe took 3 of 12 qualification spots (8 going to athletes of African origin) which was much the same as the men’s 1500m where 2 Europeans will feature in the 9 man final. In the shot, Europe will have 4 of the 8 men in the final, while they will also have 4 men in the 6 man 800m final, including 2 Polish athletes.
STATS (by Ken Nakamura)
400m first round: 45.84 by Chris Brown at Sopot is the second fastest first round time for 400 m at World Indoors. The fastest 400m first round time is 45.74 by California Molefe in 2006.
1500m first round: 3:36.75 by Wote is the fastest first round heat time for 1500m in World Indoors. 3:39.46 by David McCarthy of Ireland is the second fastest non-qualifying time for the final. 3:39.40 by Shabunin in 2001 is the fastest non-qualifier.
Combined Events: 193 (also Dutch HJ record) of Nadine Broersen and 6.66 by Ashton Eaton are third best results ever indoors during a pentathlon/heptathlon.
